It has been revealed British Prime Minister Tony Blair was told by his top intelligence advisers a month before the war in Iraq began that an invasion of the country would increase the risk of terrorist attacks.

Emmy award-winning actor John Ritter, who gained fame playing bumbling and lovable characters in a pair of television comedies decades apart, has died suddenly after being rushed to hospital with heart problems.

An inquest into the deaths of eight men on board the bulk carrier Nego Kim off Western Australia's north-west coast has found the disaster could have been avoided if a tank the crew was painting was properly ventilated.